Author's Note: I'm writing stories like crazy, and not just fanfiction. I don't have a fictionpress yet but would you read? Do you know what p.o's me? That 'eggy' is correct in the computer dictionary but not 'niggy'. Grr. Fang's speech is largely from FANG. Please, please don't consider the Spanish racist :( , when my mum's upset she always goes off in Akan.

Take places after FANG in Arizona.

I do not own Maximum Ride. Everything goes to Patterson. Who'd better write more and soon!


Ages: Iggy: 19 Nudge: 16

Nudge POV:

"Who would have thought-" Ella begin.

"That the great, incredible, indescribable Maximum Ride-" Angel interrupted.

"Would be getting married?" I finished.

"Not me..." Max groaned.

We three bridesmaids giggled and went back to torturing, I mean, dressing up Max. Yes, indeed. Today Maximum Batchelder Ride was marrying Alec 'Fang' Acosta. Don't be surprised. It was nineteen years of science and fate in the making. You wouldn't think Max would get married this young but she said she was ready. Despite our protests, including Dr. M and Total, Max insisted on having a 'small, personal' wedding. That included that computer geek, Mike, and Sam but, hey, her choice! It was being held at a beach. It was secluded but naturally pretty. We'd done everything ourselves; decorating with light blue and white ribbons and calla lilies. Tiny lights, a shell lined aisle, and little white feathers would be thrown by Angel instead of petals! It looked great but it wasn't nearly as adorable as Fang's proposal.

We'd all gone flying over the house in Colorado. It was a perfect day: fluffy white clouds, warm air, and birds who didn't look at us funny. We watched Max and Fang fly in circles and we joined them. Fang grinned and dropped something sparkly,

"Whoops. Max could you uses your super speed and grab that for me?"

Max rolled her eyes and dived down to catch it. We heard a scream. Max zipped back up, a simple silver ring with little black and white diamonds, in her hands.

"What is this!" Max demanded.

"What does it look like?" Fang smiled crookedly.

"It looks like what I hope it is but couldn't possibly be so I'm going to assume it's something else."

"Maximum," Fang said, who never used her whole name, "I've know you my whole life. If there was a life before this I knew you; if there's a life after this I'll know you then. When we were little you were my cage-mate. And my best friend. When we were escaped, I didn't care if it lasted, only that I'd still be with you. We grew up and you were so strong, so amazing. When we split up, our world was in shades of gray. I've seen you save the world. I've seen you make it a better place. You do that just by living. I love your smile, your attitude, the way you can punch the lights out of anyone. Everything about you. You're my left wing girl. The thing is, Maximum, I love you. I can't help but focus on you. I want to be next to you, I want you by my side. So, can I ask for that? " He knelt, a feat in midair. Holding out the ring he asked the words that were years overdue, "Max, will you marry me?"

We all looked expectantly at her.

"You're not going to fly away again are you?" Fang said in a quiet voice.

"Never again." Max sobbed. She tackled Fang, and they tumbled head over heels in the sky. Together, how they belonged.

"We're almost done," Ella assured. Dr. M walked in and gasped. She went on and on about how beautiful Max looked, how her baby was getting married, how happy she was, talking in Spanish because she was crying too much.

"Esto es demasiado. Por lo que pude ver, que creció tan rápido! Y nada será lo mismo! Oh, Fang, un mejor tratamiento de la derecha y, también, debe tomar las buenas decisiones. Pero yo creo en ti Max y Te amo. ¿Quién habría pensado que hace cinco años, cuando apareció en mi puerta, sangrando de una herida por arma de fuego, con las alas, Dios mío, que yo estaría aquí en tu boda. (This is too much. From what I got to see, you grew up so fast! And nothing will be the same! Oh, Fang, better treat you right and you, too, must make the good decisions. But I believe in you Max and I love you. Who would have thought that five years ago, when you showed up on my doorstep, bleeding from a gunshot wound, with wings, dear god, that I would be here at your wedding)."

Max comforted her mother but even I saw her mascara run. When Dr. M calmed down, Max stood up proudly. She looked stunning in a simple long sleeved white dress with embroidery at the top, and stood in front of the full sized mirror.

"Now," I said, "something old," I put the necklace Angel had given her for her fifteenth birthday around her neck, "something new," Ella slipped a bracelet around her wrist, "something borrowed," Angel handed her a tube of bubblegum lip gloss, "and something blue," Dr. M tucked a blue flower behind Max's ear.

"And now," I finished, "you wait."

Max's face fell. The wedding would start at sunset and it was still pretty light. She tried to run and see Fang earlier, "Don't you know it's bad luck for the groom to see the bride in her dress early," Ella scolded. Similarly, Fang had tried to sneak in using his invisibility. Luckily, Angel had stepped on his foot and we'd herded him away. He was now duct-taped in a room with Iggy and the Gasman. Yes, we were that cruel.

"Alright," Angel said, putting on her 'leader' voice, "Mom, you should check the venue. Ella, stay here and make sure Max doesn't escape, I mean, leave. Nudge," she looked me in the eyes, "you go check on the guys." Not wanting to argue, I agreed and walked to the guy's hangout. I knocked-they really had duct taped the door, and the Gasman opened it a crack. There was a scuffle and the Gasman called, "It's Nudge, not Max." There was a defeated sigh I assumed was from Fang. Iggy peeked over Gazzy,

"Come in."

I tore off the tape, cursing slightly at what it was doing to my nails. I stepped in and Gazzy said, "Close the door. Quickly!" I slammed just as Fang lunged for it. Iggy tackled him and put him in a headlock,

"Not that easy!" he cackled. I shook my head. Even on a wedding day, boys would be boys. I sunk into one of the beanbags and the boys sat on the couches.

"I take it you don't want to hear about our bachelor party?" The Gasman grinned. Fang rolled his eyes, "You weren't even there. Which is a good thing, considering Iggy planned it." Iggy smiled, completely unashamed. I shook my head. Iggy would be Iggy. And that's a good thing. As if he'd read my mind, which I really hoped he hadn't, Iggy stood up and said, "Nudge can I talk to you? I mean, we should go check the beach."

"Dr. Martinez is doing that."

"Yeah but... she may need some help." He looked at me pleadingly.

"Sure," I nodded slowly, " She could always use some help. I mean, we girls had to decorate everything ourselves. It looks great though. Have you seen the piano we set up for Total. Oh well I guess you haven't. We'll maybe Angel can send you pictures during the ceremony. It's going to be really small, huh? Fang are you the one who invited Mike? Because if he hadn't helped you in SoCal then you wouldn't have found us and that would have been bad because we wouldn't be here right now. You wouldn't be getting married! But looking back on it, you and Max will always find your way back to each other. Wow! That was really romantic, huh? Do you think-" Iggy slapped a hand over my mouth. He gestured to the door.

"Right," I mumbled. "Out we go."

We stepped into the late afternoon light and I said, "We're not going to the beach are we?"

"Nope."

"Hmph. Fine with me. My dress has wing slits. Max called it a 'precautionary measure'."

"You look cute."

"How do you know?"

"You always do." With that he took off. I gaped after him for a while and followed. I asked where we were going. He shrugged. We flew blindly, no pun intended. Finally, I pointed to an outcrop that led up to a cliff. Nearing it, I realized it was a bad choice. The path was narrow and rocky and so not made for my heels. Iggy landed before me and started walking. Yes, he could find his way up the rocky terrain but I'd miss his hand in mine-

Iggy took my hand, forcing me to catch up. So we walked quietly, swinging our hands until we found the top. It was very dusty. I sat down anyway.

"So," Iggy sighed.

"Yeah?"

"Max and Fang."

"Yep."

"I can't believe they're getting married."

"Are you kidding. It was practically inscribed in stone."

"True. But now it's, like, official."

"That must be nice."

"What."

"To know that now you're bound together."

"Not necessarily. Some people don't last."

"They will." I said firmly. Iggy was silent for a long time. So I said,

"I'm scared."

"About what? We're not that high up. And if you fall, you'll be fine."

"That's not what I'm afraid of."

"Then what?"

"I'm scared for Max and Fang."

"But why?"

"I guess I'm taking on their cold feet for them. What if it doesn't work out?"

"You just said, and you were right, that they'll will."

"But what if? That'd be terrible for the Flock, too. People always say that it's a lot easier to break up when you know each other well. And they know everything about each other. And like seventy-eight percent of high school romances actually last. What if they're one of the thirty-two percent that doesn't! And their only nineteen!"

"You're thinking into it to much. A semi wise man once told me that you don't think you're in love. You know."

Like some many other things, it came out of my mouth before I could think, "Do you know?"

He chuckled and glanced at me, "Yeah. I do."

"I though I was once. I still think I am even though I really don't want to be. I'm scared of making a mistake."

"You won't," Iggy whispered. He angled his head and leaned down. Before I closed my eyes I saw the sun sinking on the horizon. "Crap!" I said, "Iggy. The weddings about to start."

He nodded easily: like nothing was about to have happened. Maybe nothing was. I stood and brushed off my blue dress. We walked back down the cliff to the take off stop in silence. I thought about what we'd said. That Max and Fang would last and how you knew when you were in love. That he was. Was it Ella, Tess, some girl I'd didn't know? It wasn't my place to pry. Or was it? And I'd told him how I'd felt, even if it was indirectly. Lost in thought, I looked over my shoulder.

I hadn't noticed but hawks flew in lazy formation, dark dots against the gold flecked sky. They didn't have to think. They knew exactly what to do. And on the way down our hands found each other.